BENTONVILLE — Benton County will open its first convenience center Saturday.

Open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., the center will give county residents a place to dispose of unwanted furniture, refrigerators, electronics and other large household items that trash haulers will not take away.

The convenience center is located behind the county Road Department in Bentonville, and can be accessed o◊Melissa Drive. It will be open each Saturday through the end of the year with the exception of the Saturdays following Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, county administrator Greg Hines said.

“This has been an important project for (County Judge Dave Bisbee) to get up and off the ground, so we are excited to see it happen,” Hines said.

County o◊cials are asking that all electronics brought to the site be placed in plastic to protect them from the weather until a permanent facility can be built. A maximum of four rimless passenger vehicle tires will be accepted from each car load. But before the tires are taken, proof of residency must be shown.

Items that will not be accepted include general household waste that can be picked up by trash haulers, construction or commercial waste and hazardous materials.

All items brought to the center will be accepted free of charge, Hines said, noting that because the center will be open each Saturday through the end of the year with the exceptions of Nov. 28 and Dec. 26, residents can take their time in bringing trash to the center.

The convenience center is being opened to replace the annual fall cleanup day. The hope is to better accommodate residents and prevent trash from being dumped along rural county roads, countyadministrator Chris Glass said.

The cost of running the Bentonville convenience center is expected to be about $1,200 each weekend, but some of the costs will be recouped through recycling and selling scrap metal that is dropped o◊at the site, Glass said.

Additional conveniencecenter sites around the county are planned to open in 2010, depending how well the pilot center in Bentonville is received and how much the centers are expected to cost the county, Glass said.

Operating hours for 2010 for the Bentonville convenience center will be announced before the end of the year, Glass said.

News, Pages 1 on 11/05/2009

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